Dusting with seven

I was trying to get rid of some mites on chickens I got from a friend and I dusted them with de and I cleaned cages but could not get rid of them. I tried the seven and was very careful . But how there faces ared very red and swelling . What have I done? Please help.

How long did you give the DE to work? Was it food grade? You may have poisoned your chickens with the sevin dust? Sevin dust was made for garden pests. Some people swear by it for chickens but I wouldnt trust anything that I had to wait one or two weeks for before I could eat their eggs! Where did you put it on the chickens? Lotsa questions!

Sorry I cant offer anything. I have used sevin for years and never had a problem. I could only recommend maybe cleaning their faces and combs with a wet cloth, maybe they have some minor irritations. I hope someone else can jump on here and offer some help to you.

spatcher: sevin is not going to poison the chickens. it is the mildest of all the chemicals out there for bug control. Sevin is also sold as dog/cat flea and tick control.

I wait 3 weeks for the de to work. I cleaned the house really well. It does not get too dirty. But the roost had a little biuldup on them. It is food grade de. I don't like using chemicles but my kids want to show some the chickens at fair.

I know sevin dust has been taken off the market b/c they say a chemical in it causes cancer, here in NC unless the store had some back stocked we can only buy super 10 now. I read it could be used for cats and dogs but I didnt read if it could be used on chickens on the bad (super 10)

Katy, I dont think there is a specific withdrawal period for dusting with sevin. I think it is more of what people just do. My family has been eating the eggs immediately following dustings for a while. It has only been this past year that after I dust them, I wait about 5 days before we eat them. This is because I have an excess of eggs now. So now I hard boil them and feed them back to the birds after I dust.

This powder is used for fruit and veggie plants, people just wash them off and eat them. I'm not saying it is all natural, it is still a chemical, just a milder one than other ones on the market.

Back to the original poster: most people showing carry a dog spray for fleas and mites with them, they usually spray them immediately following the show, prior to crating them back up to bring home. This spray, although used for dogs and cats, still has chemicals in them. When it come to lice and mites, the quickest way to kill them is with chemicals. You can choose another path and use the DE if you want, some people use fireplace ashes, some use tea tree oil....all of which will work if given enough time.

I hope your birds are alright now from the facial swelling. When I use the sevin, I am very careful to keep it away from the face. I wish you the best of luck with this and I hope your kids have a blast showing them, it is a great time.

What I do with the DE is make sure there is quite a bit in the bedding. If they have a pit dug to dust bathe, I sprinkle DE in the pit and it gets mixed in with the sand/dirt. Also, I have white-washed the inside of the coop with a spray bottle, 1 cup DE in a half gallon of water. Stir or shake often as it settles pretty quickly. Has worked for me and wish you luck!